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Puerto Rican Woodpecker ID needed (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter dainisjg
- Start date
Katy Penland
Well-known member
It looks like a Puerto Rico Woodpecker (Melanerpes portoricensis), but I'm not familiar with Caribbean spp so that's only a guess based on its similarities to other photos.
cuckooroller
Registered User
Katy is right. I think this is the only Woodpecker that can be seen with any frequency in Puerto Rico. Only two others occur as uncommon accidentals - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Hairy Woodpecker. Here, though the differences between sexes are pretty subtle, judging from the amount of red on breast and belly and the very slight difference in the amount of white immediately around the eye, it looks like the male is passing food to the female.
Thank you for the information. There is only one species of woodpecker in Puerto Rico?
That is interesting. I should have mentioned in my first post that the bird inside is a fledgling. It appears that he is just about large enough to take wing.
The photo was taken from a ledge on my nephew's house about 40 feet from the tree using a 400mm lens on a Minolta XG-9 camera with Fuji NPH 400 ISO film.
My nephew wanted to know what kind of woodpecker it is (as do I). When I tell him it is a Puerto Rican woodpecker, I can just imagine the eye roll I will get.
"What kind of woodpecker is that?"
"That's a Puerto Rican woodpecker."
"No kidding! But what kind?"
At least I have the scientific name to back me up. Thank you.
That is interesting. I should have mentioned in my first post that the bird inside is a fledgling. It appears that he is just about large enough to take wing.
The photo was taken from a ledge on my nephew's house about 40 feet from the tree using a 400mm lens on a Minolta XG-9 camera with Fuji NPH 400 ISO film.
My nephew wanted to know what kind of woodpecker it is (as do I). When I tell him it is a Puerto Rican woodpecker, I can just imagine the eye roll I will get.
"What kind of woodpecker is that?"
"That's a Puerto Rican woodpecker."
"No kidding! But what kind?"
At least I have the scientific name to back me up. Thank you.
Katy Penland
Well-known member
LOL! You're welcome. It may help if you be sure to say "Puerto Rico Woodpecker", not Puerto Rican. Lots of folks mistakenly call "Canada geese" Canadian geese. Regardless, if your nephew's a teenager, I'm sure you'll still get the eye-roll!dainisjg said:
Edit: I just realized that I am wrong about the common name of this bird; it is indeed Puerto Rican, not Puerto Rico, woodpecker. So the Canada geese analogy is worthless for helping with the eye-rolling problem. Sorry 'bout that!
Last edited:
cuckooroller
Registered User
Katy,
You beat me to it!
Dainisjg,
If your nephew is too crestfallen that there is only one, then tell him that this is a special woodpecker, an endemic, meaning that it exists in no other place on earth, and known only from Puerto Rico and Vieques Is. This is the reason why they honor this special woodpecker with the name of "Puerto Rican Woodpecker" and no other woodpecker can lay a claim to this name.
You beat me to it!
Dainisjg,
If your nephew is too crestfallen that there is only one, then tell him that this is a special woodpecker, an endemic, meaning that it exists in no other place on earth, and known only from Puerto Rico and Vieques Is. This is the reason why they honor this special woodpecker with the name of "Puerto Rican Woodpecker" and no other woodpecker can lay a claim to this name.
Thank you for the further information and ammunition. To avoid the I-must-have-been-adopted-because-my-real-relatives-couldn't-be-this-dumb eye roll, I merely have to profer
"The Puerto Rican woodpecker is endemic."
That should cause his eyes to glaze over and question my pronouncements no further.
"The Puerto Rican woodpecker is endemic."
That should cause his eyes to glaze over and question my pronouncements no further.
gthang
Ford Focus Fanatic: mmmmmm... 3.1415926535.....
BTW, if you want to prove to your nephew that there really is a Puerto Rican woodpecker, go to here:
http://www.birdforum.net/bird_view.php?bid=6260
http://www.birdforum.net/bird_view.php?bid=6260
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